WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE TOUR OF THE VATICAN AND SISTINE CHAPEL – APPROX 3 – 4 HOURS

About this Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel tour

Vatican Museums COVID-19 regulations

The Vatican Museums has re-opened their doors to visitors. Currently there are special rules and regulations in place to avoid people attracting or spreading COVID-19. Want to know more about these new rules? Click here.

Skip the Line

Skip the line and explore the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with your private licensed guide. A unique experience that you must experience once in your life. The museums together have the most impressive art collection in the world. All belonging to the Catholic Church. The pieces of art are collected by Popes during the years and donated by families. In an area of 42,000 meters (26 miles), they have more than 70,000 exhibits on display.

Stroll through the 15th century Sistine Chapel which holds an invaluable collection of masterpieces, such as Michelangelo’s ceiling painting of the “Creation of the World”.

The entrance to the Sistine Chapel is by means of a ramp, which is fairly steep with numerous security checks on the way in. For wheelchair and scooter users, the visiting route inside differs slightly from the path that able-bodied tourists take. You have to use the fully accessible lift that also the Pope uses.

Depending on how busy it is you can include a visit to the galleries to your tour.

Add a visit to the St. Peters Basilica

please not that when you add the St. Peters Basicilica to your tour, the tour takes about 1 hour longer.

In case you wish to include a visit to the St. Peters Basilica, you are directed to the entrance of the museums. This is at the connection between the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica and is a long staircase. Entry is from the St Peters Square to enter the St Peter’s Basilica.

Note that admission is only allowed when dressing accurately. Wearing sleeveless shirts, shorts, miniskirts, and hats are forbidden. This tour is not available on Sundays and religious holidays. And it can be a bit colder inside than outside, so bring long sleeves.

Accessibility Sistine Chapel

There have been some changes with regards to access and accessibility to the Sistine Chapel, please keep the following into account when planning, and to avoid disappointment on the day itself!

To go from the Vatican to the Sistine Chapel there are at least two flights of stairs. Therefore they have placed a lift for wheelchair and scooter users. The lift holds a wheelchair that does not exceed the following dimensions:

– Measurements: 76 cm x 104 cm
– Weight: Max 230 kg

If either the weight or the dimensions exceed the above, there is a manual wheelchair available provided by the Vatican.

About the Vatican Museums

It all started in 1503 when Pope Julius II donated his private collection and moved it to the Octagonal Court. From this moment on, other popes and families have donated their collections, making it one of the biggest in the world. The collection shows the Apollo Belvedere, the Sleeping Ariadne, The last judgment, the Gallery of Maps, and many more. The popes that followed constructed new galleries and pathways to connect all the art.

Nowadays, more than 6 million people visit the Vatican Museums per year. The biggest reason for the number of visitors is because they want to see the entrance of the Sistine Chapel, which is breathtakingly beautiful!